Comedian Jimmy Carr brings his show to the Victoria Hall in Hanley

Jun 2 2010 by Will Harris, Crewe Chronicle

IF you’re in Hanley in a couple of weeks time you might just bump into comedian Jimmy Carr – and if you do, don’t worry if you say hello that he’ll be rude back.

The host of C4’s irreverent comedy quiz 8 Out Of 10 Cats is bringing his stand-up show Rapier Wit to the Victoria Hall in Hanley, and reveals he likes to explore the local area before a gig and meet people.

And, ever-busy, he’s happy playing lots of shows a year at middle-sized venues, rather than doing just a few in larger arenas.

He says: “Generally if I’m doing a gig, I drive there, which takes a couple of hours. I then mooch about, look around the town, have a coffee and a bite to eat and wherever I go in the country I meet people.

“People come up, say hello and have a chat. If you’re on TV, people think you’re very approachable. It’s nice, it makes the world very friendly.

“If I’m eating, people wait until I’ve put down my knife and fork before they come over. It’s great.

“The nicest thing is when you meet young guys and girls coming to comedy for the first time. What’s slightly strange is they’re clearly expecting me to insult them.

“It must be difficult if you’re a beloved comedian like Peter Kay, who has to be super nice the whole time. For my audience, it’s a pleasant surprise to find I’m polite.”

Sharp-witted and sharp-suited, Carr is back on the road, following last year’s Joke Technician tour and the hugely popular Repeat Offender tour.

He has won awards, released chart-topping DVDs, written a best-selling book and broken box office records by performing to more than 500,000 people in the past three years.

His jokes – which he’s obsessive about – come thick and fast, often one-liners that rely on the wording and timing, and he takes no prisoners over his targets.

“It’s almost autistic, isn’t it?” he says. “A really boring guy might be obsessed by crosswords. How they work and how best to do them. I’m exactly the same except I’m obsessed by a slightly different bit of word play.

“My father always used to say: ‘What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Before the accident.’”

In his book, The Naked Jape, Jimmy talks about the role of court jesters, who were allowed to mock kings, but that doesn’t mean he feels his job as a comic is important.

“I don’t agree at all. I don’t take the mick out of the Government. I don’t do political stuff; I don’t feel that I’m part of that tradition.

“People like coming out, watching a show and not being preached to. The reason comedy attendance is up and church attendance is down is that I’m not telling anybody how to live their lives.

“I suppose the best you could say about us is that we are an embodiment of the freedom of speech. As soon as you stop doing jokes about one thing then that’s the thin end of the wedge. I’m an equal opportunity offender.

“Which religion would you like me to be rude about? ‘If we are all God’s children, what’s so special about Jesus?’ Or ‘suicide bombers – what makes them tick?’.”

Jimmy Carr arrives in Hanley on Friday, June 18. The show starts at 9.30pm and tickets are £22.50, to phone 0871 871 7649 to book or visit www.ambassadortickets.com/victoria-hall